


King and Lionheart

by DecemberCamie



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Animal Transformation, Gen, Magic, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-13
Updated: 2013-04-13
Packaged: 2017-12-08 07:57:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/758966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecemberCamie/pseuds/DecemberCamie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You are my Eaglewings and my Lionheart and I am your Pirate King, your protector. That is all you will ever need to know,"<br/>Because if there is anything worth protecting in this world, it was Alfred.</p><p>Alternate Universe where Pirate King Arthur Kirkland protects a magical child known as Alfred, who was born with Eaglewings and a Lionheart.<br/>Based on the song "King and Lionheart" by Of Monsters and Men.</p>
            </blockquote>





	King and Lionheart

**Author's Note:**

> And as the world comes to an end  
> I'll be here to hold your hand  
> 'Cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart.  
> A lionheart.
> 
> -"King and Lionheart", Of Monsters and Men

The door to the Captain’s Headquarters slammed open, banging against the wooden wall with a noise so loud that it echoed throughout the entire deck.

 Simon, the man closest to the door, looked up sharply. He was unsurprised- and a bit exasperated- to see the Captain standing on the threshold, mouth turned down in a famous scowl.  Simon stood up with a sigh and rubbed his hands free of dirt on his pants before walking over to greet other.

 “Captain Kirkland,” he greeted evenly. The man’s green eyes flashed as he appraised Simon, looking him over quickly. Simon kept his smile in place, too used to the feeling of being picked apart to feel nervous.

 “Simon,” the Captain said, acknowledging his crewman for a bare moment before swiftly striding past him. Simon turned as soon as the Captain had passed, walking quickly to catch up.

 “Is there something the matter, sir?” he asked, though he secretly thought he knew the answer.

 “He’s missing, isn’t he?” Simon prodded when the Captain didn’t reply.

 “Yes,” came the reluctant answer. “I…I swear, he was there just before I started working on my papers, but then I looked up and he was gone.”

 “He’s not answering your calls either?”

 “No.”

 “So…that can only mean he’s out here on the deck somewhere.”

 The Captain cast him a sarcastic look. “We are in the middle of the ocean, Simon. He can’t go anywhere even if he could; he _has_ to be here. Has anyone seen him recently?”

 Simon shrugged. “I haven’t, and I was right outside your door for a most of the day. Why don’t you check the steer? I know he likes to play with it sometimes.”

 The Captain stopped walking, and turned to face him. “But I’ve told him not to do that multiple times. He knows better; he could throw the whole boat off course.”

 “He’s a child,” Simon said, as if that sentence alone could explain the boy’s actions. The Captain scoffed and shoved past him again. This time he was heading in the direction of the steer that rested on the upper deck of the ship, right above the his Headquarters.

 “There’s not very much to interest him besides the steer anyway,” Simon called after him. “You might as well let the kid have some fun once and a while!”

 The Captain made an annoyed hand gesture to show he had heard, but did not give an outspoken reply. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone right now; all he wanted was to find what he was searching for. Sooner, if possible, than later.

 He climbed the steps leading to the steering area, slowing once he stood on top of the upper deck. It was colder here, and the wind pulled at his long red coat, almost sweeping his feathered hat off of his head before he secured it. He took a deep breath, loving the salty tang of the ocean mingled with the fresh air. It was a familiar smell; something he would never tire of, no matter the amount of time he spent on the waves.

 After a moment, he opened his bright green eyes and searched the skies. There was nothing but a few spare seagulls hovering far away, but this didn’t fool him.

 He has to be here somewhere, the Captain thought to himself. He can’t just disappear into thin air.

 He opened his mouth, and yelled, “Alfred! Alfred, where are you!”

 He waited patiently for an answer but was only met with the howling of the wind. His previous calm expression soured after a full minute passed. Foolish boy, what was he thinking? Had he gone so far that he couldn’t hear his Captain’s voice?

 “Alfred,” he yelled again, irritated. “If you don’t come out from where ever you are hiding, I swear you will get nothing to eat for _at least_ a month-!”

 Instantly a small dark shape appeared in the sky, hurdling towards the unexpected Captain as fast as the winds could carry it. The Captain’s eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, but it was already too late. A second before the shape crashed into the deck, its size swelled, doubling, and then tripling. The thing let out a high pitched and very much human shriek before dropping like a stone, crashing into the Captain in a flurry of limbs.

 “Oh-!” the Captain fell to the ground, colliding with the wood harder than he would have liked, and skid a few feet before finally coming to a halt.

 There was a moment of silence, and he felt a flash of terror run through him; why was it so quiet? The boy had never been quiet ever since he had met the Captain, unless he was ill or sick or injured. The Captain raised his head, wincing, to look at the young human boy that was currently sprawled across his chest.

 “Alfred?” the Captain spoke softly. He reached over to brush his fingers through the golden brown hair, soft as feathers, and gently shook the boy’s shoulder.

 A second later there was a low moan and the boy moved. He raised his head; small face scrunched up tight, and rubbed his cheek with his hand.

 “Ow, that hurt,” he muttered and slowly opened an eye to peer at the Captain. As always, the Captain was struck by how _blue_ the boy’s eyes were; bright cerulean that shone like sapphires. Relief flowed through him, quickly followed by exasperation.

 “Alfred,” he said and the boy looked at him with a guilty expression.

 “Damn you.” The Captain let his head fall back against the wood of the deck with a thud. The boy laughed breathlessly, and the Captain felt the small frame shake against his chest.

 “Are you alright, Arthur?” Alfred asked after his laughter had passed. He leaned up on the Captain’s torso- Arthur’s torso- and stared at him with wide eyes.

 “Me? You want to know if _I’m_ alright?” Arthur repeated incredulously. “Must I remind you that it was _you_ and not I who fell from the sky?” He gestured at the air above them.

 Alfred smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to fall into you,” he admitted. “I wanted to land on the ground, on my feet and stuff. But I, uh, kinda missed.”

 “I noticed,” Arthur said dryly and was rewarded with more giggling. “You’ll need to work on that if you want to avoid crashing into people in the future.” He started to sit up, propping himself on his elbows.

 “I will!” Alfred promised, beaming as he sat comfortably in Arthur’s lap. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer right away, though.”

 “It’s alright. You probably couldn’t hear me with the wind anyway,” he sighed. “Why did you leave my Headquarters? I thought I told you not to go anywhere without asking me first.”

 The boy winced. “I’m sorry, but I was bored. You weren’t paying attention to me and there wasn’t anything in there I could play with so… I decided to go outside and practice flying a bit. I didn’t mean to make you worry. I was going to come back soon anyway, I promise!”

 “Alfred.” He held up a hand and the boy stopped speaking. “It’s fine. I just wish you would tell me or a crewmember first; I don’t want you to get hurt, understand?”

 “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Alfred mumbled and Arthur ruffled his hair again.

 “Thank you,” he said and crushed Alfred to his chest in a tight hug. Alfred buried his face into Arthur’s white shirt and clutched the back of his red coat as tightly as possible. Arthur rested his cheek against the boy’s soft hair, smiling to himself. He didn’t know what he would do if anything happened to the child; the boy was his entire world.

 “Sir? I heard a noise, did you find-? Oh, there’s the little prince.” Simon appeared at the top of the stairs. He grinned when he noticed Alfred resting in Arthur’s arms.

 “Yes, I found him,” Arthur said simply. He let Alfred scramble out of his lap and run towards Simon.

 “Simon, I was flying in the sky!” Alfred gushed and pointed excitedly towards the clouds. “I almost touched a cloud! But then I heard Arthur calling and I had to come back.”

 “That sounds wonderful, Alfred,” Simon said and cast Arthur an amused look while the Captain stood and brushed off his red coat. “But it sounds very tiring, doing all of that flying in one afternoon. Do you want to go back inside with the Captain and I’ll ask Cookie to make you something to eat?”

 “Okay,” Alfred said cheerfully. He skipped down the stairs, chatting to Simon while Arthur followed behind. Some of the crewmen smiled and waved to Alfred as he passed, their expressions softening. No one could resist the innocence of the boy, the pure happiness that radiated off of him like light from the sun. Everyone adored him, simply because it was impossible not to.

 Simon left the pair at the door, promising to return with something for Alfred to eat, and Arthur led him inside. He took off his heavy coat and hung it on the wall while Alfred raced across the room to sit in the Captain’s chair behind the desk. He sat up as tall as he could and grinned at Arthur, proud of himself for beating the elder to the better chair.

 “I’m the Captain of this ship!” Alfred declared. “You get to sit in that chair while I get the special one.” He pointed to the plain wooden chair across from him and Arthur raised his eyebrows.

 “Oh, really? I’m afraid you are wrong, my dear boy. Only the Pirate King has the right to be the Captain of _Britannia_ , not the little boy- even if he does have Eagle Wings and a Lion Heart.”

 Arthur plucked the child from the seat and spun him around in a circle. Alfred yelped but then started to laugh, clinging to Arthur as the pair twirled around. Arthur slowed and eventually stopped spinning, placing the boy lightly on a pile of cushions on the side of the room. He smiled gently down at Alfred, trying to push down the one stray hair that always stuck up in the air, defying gravity. Then he stood up and walked back over to his desk, deciding to clean up the paperwork before Simon returned with the meal.

 “Hey, Arthur. I have a question,” Alfred said suddenly. Arthur looked up to see that Alfred had remained where Arthur had left him, surrounded by cushions and lying flat on his back as he stared up at the ceiling. He was frowning, and Arthur too frowned in response.

 “What is it?” he asked cautiously.

 “Why can I turn into an eagle and fly?” Alfred said quietly. “Normal people can’t fly; you and Simon, neither of you have wings like I do. Is there something wrong with me? Am I…an abomination?”

 Arthur stopped moving and stared at the child.

 “Alfred…why would you ever ask something like that? You know no one here would ever think of you like that, or even odd, for that matter. We are family. And as for your wings, you know why you have them. The Eagle, the Lion and I have explained it to you before, haven’t we?”

 Alfred nodded. “The Eagle gave her Wings to me,” he recited from heart. “And I got my Heart from the Lion.”

 “And what else?” Arthur asked, walking over and kneeling on the ground in front of the boy.

 Alfred sat upwards, biting his lip. “You… you made a deal with the Lion, before I was born. You told him that you would save him from the bad guys if he gave you his Heart. And he created me so that I would keep it safe; so that you wouldn’t…use the Heart to abuse him or his powers.”

 “Go on,” Arthur urged. He watched the boy carefully to make sure that Alfred understood everything he was saying.

 “The Lion asked the Eagle for help to create me, so she gave me her Wings. It’s because of that I can turn into an eagle and fly. I think I could turn into a lion too, but I thought that would freak everyone out too much so I haven’t tried it out yet,” Alfred finished awkwardly. He looked down at his hands, blinking.

 “Exactly,” Arthur said softly. “You’ve got it all right. What don’t you understand?”

 “How can I exist?” Alfred asked, turning to Arthur with confused eyes. “I can’t be human if I was created by parts of Guardians.”

 Arthur was silent for a moment. Then he said, “Do you know what Guardians even are, Alfred? Or what they do?”

 The boy shook his head.

 “Guardians are the protectors of humans, one for nearly every species of animals. They have special…powers, or abilities, as they like to call it. And they use these abilities watch over and protect the people that live in their Territory, even give aid if necessary. They try to keep balance throughout the world.”

 “But then why did you want the Lion’s Heart?” Alfred burst out. “And how can I have his Heart without him dying? And the Eagle- she can still fly. How can she do that after she gave me her Wings?”

 “There are two parts to every Guardian,” Arthur said carefully, trying to figure out how to explain the complexity of a Guardian’s being using simple words. “One part is their actual body. It’s physical, and that’s how you can see them. The second part is invisible; we can’t see it but the Guardians cannot exist without it.”

 “Like a soul or spirit?” Alfred asked.

 “Ah, yes, actually. That’s exactly right. The Guardians- their physical bodies are more like vessels for their…souls, as you called it. In reality any physical object or body can hold a Spirit’s soul; they just prefer to use their own bodies. So, when I say the Guardians gave you parts of themselves-”

 “I have parts of their _souls_?” Alfred squeaked, eyes wide. “Inside of me?”

 Arthur nodded slowly. “In a sense. And it’s their souls that have their power. Before, when I wanted the Lion’s Heart, I was talking about his soul. I wanted the Heart of his soul in order to control part of his power. In the end he gave me it, but it wasn’t in the form I was expecting.” He smiled at the wide eyed child kindly. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

 “Is that a good or bad thing?” Alfred asked, tilting his head to the side.

 “Good. Without you, I wouldn’t know what I was missing from my life,” Arthur answered honestly.

 Alfred made a face. “Because of my powers?”

 “No,” he laughed, shaking his head. “Not because of your powers. Because of you individually; your personality, your character, your love…everything that makes you who you are. I love _you_ , Alfred. Not because of your powers, but because of _you_ and who you are as a person. Do you understand what I am saying?”

 Alfred nodded hesitantly before saying, “I do.”

 Arthur reached out and took Alfred’s small hands in his own, giving them a squeeze. “Good. I will always protect you, alright? You are safe here with me and the rest of the crew.”

 “I know,” Alfred said quietly. He squeezed Arthur’s hands back. “I trust you, Arthur.”

 A warm feeling bloomed in Arthur’s chest and spread throughout his body. His throat tightened and his eyes stung slightly. Without warning he yanked Alfred towards him in one swift movement, letting go of Alfred’s hands and crushing the boy to him as closely as he could, pressing his face into soft blonde hair.

 “Arthur?” Alfred’s voice was muffled and confused but Arthur didn’t let go. A few years ago Alfred would have never said anything like that to Arthur. In fact, he probably wouldn’t be talking to Arthur at all. Just the fact that Alfred could say that he trusted Arthur showed how far their relationship had come.

 A nock sounded from the door and Arthur released his hold, letting Alfred pull away. He ignored Alfred’s puzzled gaze and called out, “Enter.”

 Simon appeared, holding two plates loaded with enough food for the both of them. “Where do you want these?” he asked, smiling slightly at Alfred’s gleeful expression.

 Arthur nodded his head towards the desk. “Just place them over there.”

 As Simon started to walk towards the desk Alfred suddenly stood up and started to move forward. Arthur, anticipating the movement, caught Alfred around the middle and held him in place as Simon placed the food gently on the wooden surface.

 “Alfred,” he grit out, putting more effort than he would care to admit into restraining the child. “We’ve talked about this before.”

 “But Arthur!” Alfred whined, struggling adamantly. “I’m hungry!”

 “ _Manners_ first!” Arthur hissed. Alfred hesitated for only a moment before giving in, deflating in Arthur’s arms.

 “Good,” Arthur said and glared at Simon when the man cast him an amused smile. “Now be careful and eat slowly, understand? We don’t want you choking again.”

 “Yeah, don’t repeat an episode from last week, okay Alfred?” Simon joked and Alfred stuck out his tongue.

 Arthur finally let go and Alfred scrambled towards the desk. He pulled himself up into the plain wooden chair as Arthur stood up from the ground.

 “Thank you, Simon,” Arthur said, keeping an eye on Alfred who ate eagerly but slow enough to avoid choking.

 “No problem.” Simon gave him a cheerful grin. “Let me know if you two need anything else.”

 “Of course.” Arthur waited until Simon had left- he gave Alfred’s hair an affectionate ruffle before parting- before moving to sit in the Captain’s chair. He watched Alfred eat with raised eyebrows, waiting patiently for the boy to notice. Alfred glanced upwards, caught Arthur’s gaze and noticeably slowed his chewing.

 “Sorry,” Alfred said around a mouthful of food.

 “Just,” Arthur sighed. “Just please Alfred, for me, _please_ try not to choke.”

 Alfred swallowed loudly. “I won’t!” he chirped before going back to his plate.

 Arthur shook his head, allowing himself a small smile. He picked up a stack of papers and started to file through them as Alfred happily continued to eat his meal. Something was bothering him though; Alfred had said something before that didn’t bode well with the Captain and it was making it hard for him to concentrate on the papers in front of him.

 “Alfred?” Arthur said quietly, looking up at the child.

 “Hmm?” Alfred blinked, swallowing. “Yeah?”

 “I never want to hear you call yourself an abomination again,” he said seriously. His green eyes stared intensely at Alfred, as if willing his words onto the smaller male. “It’s not true and I will not let anyone, not even yourself, say that about you. You are my Eaglewings and my Lionheart and I am your Pirate King, your protector. That is all you will ever need to know, understood?”

 Alfred’s blue eyes were wide, and he nodded jerkily.

 “Excellent.” Arthur leaned back and continued to read his papers. “You can go back to eating now.”

 Alfred hesitated for only a moment before doing as he was told. Arthur kept his gaze on the child over the sheets of paper, watching for any sign of insecurity or doubt.

 He would die before he let anyone or thing hurt Alfred. If nothing else, this he knew with absolute certainty.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a long time ago, but I still really love the idea. Please let me know if you liked it too! It would really make my day.  
> And, as always, thank you for reading.
> 
> (This was unedited. Sorry if there's any mistakes.)


End file.
